last tuesday was the first worship service for the new academic year in STM. i was given the privilege to share the first sermon, a short homily because the whole worship service is only 40 minutes long. as is with my usual practice for tuesday chapel services, i shared from the book of proverbs.
---------------------------------------------
Tuesday 15/1/08 Chapel Prov. 3:13-18
Title: Finding Wisdom
3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from it is better than silver and its profit more than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
In our annual retreat, the speaker, Dr. Tan Soo Inn, reminded us that there are far more important things that merely getting very good results in seminary and acquiring knowledge and skill in exegeting the Word of God. It is important that we learn from people around us who encapsulates the Word of God in their lives.
In line with this train of thought, this morning’s sharing reminds us that what the seminary seeks to do is not merely to impart knowledge to the students but to do far more than that. If you come to the seminary only to gain more knowledge, you might as well do it outside the seminary. One can just borrow the books from the library and read them at home and still gain knowledge. However, in the seminary, one of our aims is to help students know wisdom and get onto the path of wisdom.
There is a significant difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is mere facts and data. One can acquire knowledge from books and other sources. But wisdom is knowledge put into practice, or to put it in another way, wisdom is the ability to utilize knowledge in a fruitful way. So, in the world, there are a lot of knowledgeable people but few wise people; in the church, there are many knowledgeable pastors but very few wise pastors. It is far easier to acquire knowledge but far harder to gain wisdom. One can get knowledge in any period of our lives but wisdom often comes with old age and through experience. Hence, the Chinese saying about older people is very true: ‘I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice’.
In the seminary, what the lecturers seek to do is not merely imparting their knowledge to the students. That is not enough. We are also trying to show you by example (though we may fail at times to live it out) and through our experiences how to put that knowledge into practice. If knowledge remains only at the intellectual level, it can become aloof and proud. One can walk around with your head in the clouds. But if knowledge can be used to build up the common good of others and be used to direct our paths in the right way, that is actually wisdom.
So, lecturers do not merely show you how to exegete a Bible passage to draw out the essence of God’s Word; we also seek to tell you why you ought to do it. Lecturers teach you about the lessons of church history not that you will know more facts about the past but so that you can learn from the mistakes of our forefathers and avoid making them in our time. Lecturers teach you about Christian Education not that you can carry out fantastic programs in the local church year after year but that Christian Education is meant to mould and transform the lives of your church members from cradle to the grave. Lecturers teach you about missions and evangelism not that your church become big and well-known for its successful evangelistic efforts but that people everywhere ought to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel message and be saved. So, the task of the lecturers is not merely imparting knowledge but giving you the life skills that will last a lifetime. There is much truth in this saying: ‘Give a man a fish and he will eat a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat a lifetime’.
Why wisdom of all things? Why not success and honour? Why not secrets to fame and fortune? Prov. 3:14-15 remind us that wisdom is far more precious that gold and silver. If you gain wisdom, you will gain something far more valuable and resourceful than earthly wealth. If you find wisdom, you find life itself (v. 18 - wisdom is like a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy or ‘blessed’). Your time here in STM is only the beginning of a lifelong journey with wisdom and may you all walk down the path of wisdom and find life! LeHayim!
---------------------------------------------
Tuesday 15/1/08 Chapel Prov. 3:13-18
Title: Finding Wisdom
3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, 14 for the gain from it is better than silver and its profit more than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
In our annual retreat, the speaker, Dr. Tan Soo Inn, reminded us that there are far more important things that merely getting very good results in seminary and acquiring knowledge and skill in exegeting the Word of God. It is important that we learn from people around us who encapsulates the Word of God in their lives.
In line with this train of thought, this morning’s sharing reminds us that what the seminary seeks to do is not merely to impart knowledge to the students but to do far more than that. If you come to the seminary only to gain more knowledge, you might as well do it outside the seminary. One can just borrow the books from the library and read them at home and still gain knowledge. However, in the seminary, one of our aims is to help students know wisdom and get onto the path of wisdom.
There is a significant difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is mere facts and data. One can acquire knowledge from books and other sources. But wisdom is knowledge put into practice, or to put it in another way, wisdom is the ability to utilize knowledge in a fruitful way. So, in the world, there are a lot of knowledgeable people but few wise people; in the church, there are many knowledgeable pastors but very few wise pastors. It is far easier to acquire knowledge but far harder to gain wisdom. One can get knowledge in any period of our lives but wisdom often comes with old age and through experience. Hence, the Chinese saying about older people is very true: ‘I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice’.
In the seminary, what the lecturers seek to do is not merely imparting their knowledge to the students. That is not enough. We are also trying to show you by example (though we may fail at times to live it out) and through our experiences how to put that knowledge into practice. If knowledge remains only at the intellectual level, it can become aloof and proud. One can walk around with your head in the clouds. But if knowledge can be used to build up the common good of others and be used to direct our paths in the right way, that is actually wisdom.
So, lecturers do not merely show you how to exegete a Bible passage to draw out the essence of God’s Word; we also seek to tell you why you ought to do it. Lecturers teach you about the lessons of church history not that you will know more facts about the past but so that you can learn from the mistakes of our forefathers and avoid making them in our time. Lecturers teach you about Christian Education not that you can carry out fantastic programs in the local church year after year but that Christian Education is meant to mould and transform the lives of your church members from cradle to the grave. Lecturers teach you about missions and evangelism not that your church become big and well-known for its successful evangelistic efforts but that people everywhere ought to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel message and be saved. So, the task of the lecturers is not merely imparting knowledge but giving you the life skills that will last a lifetime. There is much truth in this saying: ‘Give a man a fish and he will eat a day; teach him how to fish and he will eat a lifetime’.
Why wisdom of all things? Why not success and honour? Why not secrets to fame and fortune? Prov. 3:14-15 remind us that wisdom is far more precious that gold and silver. If you gain wisdom, you will gain something far more valuable and resourceful than earthly wealth. If you find wisdom, you find life itself (v. 18 - wisdom is like a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy or ‘blessed’). Your time here in STM is only the beginning of a lifelong journey with wisdom and may you all walk down the path of wisdom and find life! LeHayim!
Comments